The present invention relates to pyrano-[2,3-c]pyridine derivatives and methods for their preparation. 3,4-Dihydro-2H-pyrano[2,3-c]pyridine-6-carbaldehyde, disclosed in WO2004058144, is characterized by the following Formula (VIII):

Pyrano-[2,3-c]pyridine derivatives have shown promise as useful intermediates to compounds useful for treating bacterial infections. Previously disclosed methods for preparing pyrano-[2,3-c]pyridine-6-carbaldehyde are arduous, requiring many steps using expensive starting materials and resulting in unsatisfactory overall yields. (See WO2003042210, Example 18; WO2004058144, Example 126(a)-(e)) It would therefore be advantageous to discover alternative ways of preparing this building block from relatively inexpensive chemicals.